OK Go are well known for their innovative lo-fi videos such as 2006's "Here It Goes Again" featuring the band doing an elaborate dance on treadmills, and the more recent "This Too Shall Pass" (one involving a complex Rube Goldberg machine; the other the Notre Dame marching band). I was introduced to OK Go around eight years ago with the release of their self titled album. Looking forward to the tour promoting Of The Blue Colour of the Sky, I was thrilled with the opportunity to interview bass player Tim Nordwind.
You guys have released some fantastic videos that have had tremendous success online. Which one has been your favorite to film?
That's a good question. It's hard to pick favorites because these things all feel in a way like we've given birth to them and that's like asking which one of your kids is your favorite. They all have their own merits to them and it's hard (to choose). I'm fond of all of them for very different reasons. What's interesting about all these videos is that they have different factors and elements that sometimes you don't even expect when you go in to work on it. When you think about doing a dance on treadmills, you're going to have to figure out what speed the treadmill has to go in order to match the beats per minute your song is at. That's a challenge you may not consider going into the project. The Rube Goldberg machine was nothing but questions like that because it was all about timing, making these homemade objects work with each other in succession in order to make a machine that goes from zero seconds to three minutes and fifty seconds. That, obviously, is a whole other set of concerns and challenges. Each video comes with its own world around it and you have to kind of live in it for a while; figure out what the concepts and challenges are and try to overcome them. Every time we do it, it really is like giving birth to a child all the way to watching it graduate college and go on to do its own thing. I have very different relationships with each video. They've all been unique challenges that have been totally fun to work on.
And fun to watch as well.
Yeah, and fun to watch, I hope.
How has it been working without a label and in the process starting your own?
It's been exciting to start our own label. Again, I'm sure it will come with its own challenges as well, but it's exciting to think that we have our own distributing arm for all our crazy ideas now. We can put things out the way we want to and that's a freeing and exciting concept. So far it's been good and it opens up the possibilities for what we can distribute to people. By that I mean we can have a line of shoes, we could make a movie, and we could — I don’t know— put out our own salad dressing. We could really do whatever and put it out through Paracadute, our label. Obviously the main focus right now is our record and our videos but there is a sort of “sky is the limit” type feeling right now which is exciting.
With the release of a new album and the launch of a big tour, how do you stay focused?
Well, admittedly we have a lot going on right now; we have a lot on our plate. We continue to make videos, we're getting ready for the tour, there's tons of press and promotion and we're playing on Jimmy Kimmel this week (Thursday April 1st 12:05am EST). There's just a lot going on, basically. It's all related to our one project which is OK Go. It's easy to stay focused on the band; it's just a challenge to stay focused on all the different things within the band. You know, we've been a band for eleven years and we've slowly gotten ourselves to this point so we are somewhat practiced at having to juggle a lot of things at once. That's sort of the fun and exciting thing about it, you know: trying to keep everything that's going on going on. So, it's actually pretty easy to stay focused at this point. It is our primary focus.
Can you tell me some of your musical influences?
We are music connoisseurs and have been since we were pretty young. It's everything from early classic rock like The Beatles and the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin to the glam rock of the ‘70s like T-Rex and David Bowie to the Brit pop of the ‘80s like The Cure and The Smiths. Then, I think we all in high school and college got into punk rock, so things like Fugazi, Shutter To Think, Jawbox and a lot of the indie-punk rock of the ‘90s (became influential). Then it goes back into like ‘60s and ‘70s soul like Al Green; things like that. It's really kind of all over the place.
What have you been listening to lately?
Lately I really like the band Surfer Blood; they're kind of a new-ish indie band that's come out recently, this band called Neon Indian who I really like a lot; another band called The Phenomenal Hand Clap Band, and another kind of electro-pop band called Discovery.
What is your favorite part of touring?
My favorite part of touring is playing shows. There's a lot of touring that I'm not crazy about. There's a lot of traveling involved and logistics and early mornings and things like that that I don't love. What makes it all worth it is the hour, hour-and-a-half we get to actually play the show, see our fans, try to make a connection with our fans and have fun on stage. That's really what makes touring worth it.
Is there any one place in particular that you look forward to playing?
There are areas of the country that I really like. I really love the Pacific Northwest. I like going to the Southeast and then, for nostalgic reasons, I'm from the Midwest so I like playing the Midwest, as well. I'm from Michigan, so playing in places like Detroit or Chicago is great. You're in Denver, is that where you are?
Yep.
Denver is always a super fun place to play. We've been to The Bluebird before and the crowds have always been great. So yeah, we're excited to come play.
How do you prepare for a show? Do you ever get nervous?
We've played a lot of shows now in our eleven years as a band and I do get nervous from time to time. What's funny is typically the bigger the show—the more people—the less I get nervous. When in a smaller, more intimate show, when you can see everyone, that's when I get a little bit nervous because it's like you're then forced to make a fairly personal connection with people. You have to make eye contact and things like that. (With a) bigger show it's just a sea of heads. You can get away with just looking straight ahead and it looks like you're looking at people, but I'm kind of shy so actually making eye contact with people is kind of an intense thing.
I can see how that could be a bit off-putting.
Yeah. A lot of times if I make eye contact I'll forget how to play the song or something like that. So, I get nervous for smaller shows just because I'm actually shy and it's almost like, "Oh my god, I'm gonna have to talk to people!" It's like going to a party. I get social anxiety, basically.
It's more of an intimate setting as well when there's fewer people involved.
Ultimately, that's actually sometimes the more meaningful shows because once you get over that initial anxiety it's like you're really connecting and you can feel that you're connecting—you can see the people's eyes; you're right there with them and that's mainly what makes a good show.
Feed off of the energy of a crowd, as well.
Definitely. It's definitely a preferred thing but it's also sometimes the most anxiety-filled way to play a show.
What do you like to do in your off time?
I like to write. I like to go on walks, get the exercise; cook. Yeah, it's funny! You know, I basically like doing what everyone else does during my off time.
What are OK Go's plans for the future?
Well, like we were talking about we just started our own label so we'll be getting Paracadute up and running. We're about to embark on a two-month tour of the United States and Europe and festivals in the fall. We'll probably be going to Asian countries in the fall, as well; just a lot of touring. We're making a new video in June and we just made a new video this week for a song called End Love. So, there's a lot on the docket right now.
And that's all the questions I have. Thank you very much for your time. Is there anything else you'd like to add?
No, I don't think so. I think that pretty much covers it.
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The Ruckus Your Mother wouldn't like it
